FIRE! #10: We came through just fine!

Well, we’ve been home two days now, and it has been strange. The smoke smell is strongest in the morning, with the cool air just sitting there. I wore a respirator outside yesterday, but today is much better. I put HEPA filters in our vacuum cleaners and cleaned the carpet and upholstery today, and started to put things back where they belong.

I got our 2 pygmy goats back yesterday. They seem happy to be home, as do the rest of the animals.

The National Guard packed up and left this morning. They were across the street at the Middle School, running security patrols and playing a lot of touch football.

Other than cutting up a downed tree and cleaning up piles of leaves, there really isn’t much to fix. The fire came within a couple hundred feet of us, but all the damage is from the wind.

As far as emotions go, this has been pretty tough on all of us. The kids are very clingy, and my dear wife is pretty shook up, with periods of panic. I was able to spend a little bit of time in the shop today, making those breadboards for class. Hearing the whine of the sawblade and watching the dust whirl around in the cyclone was as therapeutic as anything could be. I screwed up the first glue-up by trying to do too many joints at once, so I slowed down on the second one, and it’s much flatter!

So, my friends, I think I will close out this blog series. It’s time to get back to work. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your care, concern, and especially your prayers. Please continue to lift up those less fortunate than us; they have a very tough time ahead of them.

“God”, Has truly put a blessing upon your family. I am so happy for you. Your family can go to bed in peace tonight. You and I each know that miracles can and do happen!May God bless all who have and still are suffering Thur this terrible nightmare !God bless

That’s such good news. Our thoughts go also to those who have suffered losses. The effects will go on long after the press has moved on to something else. The floods we suffered here back in the summer have been forgotten by all but those who are still living in mobile homes. Relatives of ours are unlikely to be back in their home before January & they had ‘only’ 2 inches of water in their ground floor.